Google building tower of Babel to meld messaging tools

Babel will combine chat tools across Google's apps, keep them in inbox.

As Google's I/O developer event approaches, details about a new unified messaging service linking all of Google's platforms have been emerging through internal developer conversations, brief glimpses behind the curtain provided by error messages, and flat-out leaks. The new service, called Babel, will tie together Google Talk, Hangout, Google Plus' Messenger, and other disparate communications tools within Google services spanning its Web and mobile applications, allowing them to be accessed from multiple locations and stored in users' Gmail inbox—at least based on the clues uncovered thus far.

Geek.com first published information about the service in March, calling it "Babble." It has been discussed in developer forums, including the ChromeOS "Chromium-bugs" discussion group. And the UK tech website Techradar released screenshots of Babel allegedly supplied by a Google employee. The screenshots include a host of graphic emoticons available in chat. An alert message revealed by one Google Plus user also showed that Babel has already infiltrated the services of at least a few users.

Aside from universal access to messages across apps, the Babel infrastructure apparently includes a new conversation-based interface for Google's various chat tools and the ability to embed pictures in chat. It will also improve notifications across ChromeOS, Android, and iOS applications. It's not yet clear how the service would integrate into Google Voice.

I really hope the SMS through google voice integrates into this. I'm tired of having a multiple messaging apps. MMS would be great but I'm not going to get my hopes up. They've been "implementing" that in google voice for like 2 years.

well it is suppose to be unifying almost all of their core communications (all if they slip it into Gmail where gchat is).. have a hard time seeing them cutting it, but I guess stranger things have happened

I only really see this being awesome if it also integrates with sms/gvoice on my phone, so I can just use one app instead of three (4 I guess if I used G+ messenger).. never actually used G+ messenger, but it makes sense to merge Messenger/Hangout with Gchat/talk at the very least.. without SMS/GVoice it will still be cool, but not awesome..

Wondering what the unintended consequences of this will be. I must be crazy to want separate accounts for the different services I use. Simply because a few have the same parent company doesn't mean I want them integrated. Unfortunately, google doesn't seem to respect this idea as I am sure everyone within their walls is all google, all the time. The real world implications and workflow changes of their decisions don't seem to matter to them much.

We "upgrade" when google wants us to upgrade, are often left little choice in the matter. (I would still like to be able to have my gmail in one tab, and a different YouTube account logged in on another, but google won't allow that.)

It does sound like Babel will improve the user experience for those who use all these services. But I'm detecting the barest hints of the idea that we'll need Google Plus accounts to use Babel. As someone who doesn't have or want a G+ account, I'm still sore about the requirement to post app reviews on the Play store. I really hope that Google doesn't decide that G+ will replace our previous non-public profile, and that Babel isn't another step in that direction.

Wondering what the unintended consequences of this will be. I must be crazy to want separate accounts for the different services I use. Simply because a few have the same parent company doesn't mean I want them integrated. Unfortunately, google doesn't seem to respect this idea as I am sure everyone within their walls is all google, all the time. The real world implications and workflow changes of their decisions don't seem to matter to them much.

We "upgrade" when google wants us to upgrade, are often left little choice in the matter. (I would still like to be able to have my gmail in one tab, and a different YouTube account logged in on another, but google won't allow that.)

But then again, it is of my opinion that having a single account to login to all those services make it easier to manage them rather than having different credentials for each service and their associated settings hell.

Whenever I come upon the issue you've raised, I open up the other website in a new private tab and login with the alternate credentials. That seems to work reasonably well, unless you have more than 2 accounts.

Wondering what the unintended consequences of this will be. I must be crazy to want separate accounts for the different services I use. Simply because a few have the same parent company doesn't mean I want them integrated. Unfortunately, google doesn't seem to respect this idea as I am sure everyone within their walls is all google, all the time. The real world implications and workflow changes of their decisions don't seem to matter to them much.

We "upgrade" when google wants us to upgrade, are often left little choice in the matter. (I would still like to be able to have my gmail in one tab, and a different YouTube account logged in on another, but google won't allow that.)

That's because what you want is kind of ridiculous and very, very few people want it. I get that you like to keep things organized, but that's better served with flexible filters in one app, so the user has the choice of mixing OR siloing so everyone is happy. Look at the Android mail app: you can use it with ALL of your accounts in one mixed inbox OR you can have separate icons on your homescreen and pretend they all lead to different apps.

This is about fewer mandatory walls between your streams of data. That is a good thing. It's a great thing if they give you the ability to build up optional walls yourself.

Wondering what the unintended consequences of this will be. I must be crazy to want separate accounts for the different services I use. Simply because a few have the same parent company doesn't mean I want them integrated. Unfortunately, google doesn't seem to respect this idea as I am sure everyone within their walls is all google, all the time. The real world implications and workflow changes of their decisions don't seem to matter to them much.

We "upgrade" when google wants us to upgrade, are often left little choice in the matter. (I would still like to be able to have my gmail in one tab, and a different YouTube account logged in on another, but google won't allow that.)

Well, this seems to be true in other companies as well.

FWIW, you're not crazy. There may very well be an opt-in/out option. Let's hope there is, at least.

Why not just use the standardized, open source XMPP that they'd already previously implemented in all of this? Is it to keep third parties away from the ability to integrate with it?

That's my question as well. I only use GTalk because it's XMPP.

XMPP is only the outside interface. From talking to some Google devs during an XMPP dev conference, it's not what's used on the backend. It doesn't scale to Google's requirements, and it still doesn't have a mobile-friendly version (remember that XMPP expects a persistent connection).

But the 'X' in XMPP is for eXtensible. Let's hope they chose to extend rather than replace it.

Babel will certainly require a G+ account. All Google services already do or otherwise will require a G+ account. Google sees G+ as the basis for all its services so it can connect the use of services to an individual, preferably with an actual (G+) profile. G+ accounts will eventually replace what was previously known ad Google account (not to mix up with GMail account): Everybody who had an GMail account also had a Google account. But if you started with a Google account, you could have a GMail account with a separate ID. I think most people (including myself, for the most part) never fully udnerstood the difference.

"That's because what you want is kind of ridiculous and very, very few people want it. "

I don't think it ridiculous to want services I signed up individually to not be combined after the fact. I signed up for YouTube long before Google bought it. Simply because they now share a parent company does not mean anything to me. Email service and video sharing are two different things. The only tangible connection is behind the scenes

As for your assumption that "very, very few want" separate log-ins, I would love to see your quantitative data to support that. How many is "very, very" few? The same amount of users as Google Reader, perhaps? Or is it simply that since you don't personally have a use case for it, you assume most other people don't either?

Forgive me if I don't want one company with one account to be the everything of my digital life.

I've been wanting this for years, so I'm sure it'll be nice. But still. I've been thinking long and hard, and I'm completely unable to come up with a stupider name than "Babel." Also, I'm putting even money on this only being available for Android 4.0+.

I've been wanting this for years, so I'm sure it'll be nice. But still. I've been thinking long and hard, and I'm completely unable to come up with a stupider name than "Babel." Also, I'm putting even money on this only being available for Android 4.0+.

I thought I heard the rumor was 2.2+.. can't remember where or if that was a dream though..

"Chatsy"? "CommunicationApp"? "UnifiedMessenger"? "Talky"? "UniversalTranslator"? "LetsChat"? "WhatsApp"? "iMessage"? (kidding).. I don't really care what it's named, as long as it works - and Babel is a nice reference to everything/everyone communicating as one..

With SMS, Twitter, Facebook and email, does anyone here actually use instant messaging

If you took away IM, then a vast majority of businesses would be running around, clueless. The world's commerce could possibly grind to a halt. (I think you're vastly underestimating IM use by corporations.)

That said, corporate IT uses different tools such as Lotus Sametime and MS Lync.

(I would still like to be able to have my gmail in one tab, and a different YouTube account logged in on another, but google won't allow that.)

You're right about Youtube, and other stuff like Blogger. I still think they shouldn't have "mandatorily" integrated those. A Youtube channel and or Blog is certainly something I'd like doing with another "persona".

But Gmail, GTalk, Plus, Calendar, Contacts, Drive, Docs, Keep, etc are supposed to be integrated. I mean I want to get an attachment in Gmail and be able to save it imediatly to my Docs account. The same for an event invite.

Same goes for Babel. I want instant messaging to work transparently with the same contacts regardless of whether I'm on my phone or on the website. So no, it'd make no sense to have them separated. This is the kind of stuff that makes no sense being siloed in another account.

(I would still like to be able to have my gmail in one tab, and a different YouTube account logged in on another, but google won't allow that.)

YouTube, GMail, and select other Google services allow you to switch accounts at will. Just hit the little drop-down arrow next to your profile in the top right corner and choose Switch Account. I have my personal GMail account open and a separate Google account (non-G+) I created for uploading work-related YouTube videos open in two different tabs right now. Just pay attention to which account is active in each tab so you don't mix things up.

Sean Gallagher / Sean is Ars Technica's IT Editor. A former Navy officer, systems administrator, and network systems integrator with 20 years of IT journalism experience, he lives and works in Baltimore, Maryland.